The students are part of the school's science, technology, engineering and mathematics program. They were just trying their hand at real-life environmental research and they were up against some stiff competition of almost 2,000 students from 70 countries.

Sally Albright and Allison Raines, both 10th-grade students, were eager to talk about their award-winning science project with classmates. The two are just back from the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles. The teenagers won "The First Award" for an environmental project close to home.

"We proved that antifreeze has a big impact on the oyster's ability to filter, feed and breathe in the water," Albright said.

It was a project focused on environmental concerns in the Chesapeake Bay and how the chemical ethylene glycol, which is commonly used in antifreeze, is affecting the oyster population, especially when it's used to de-ice commercial planes leaving Maryland.

"We were very surprised how dramatic our results were. We didn't know it was going to cut their ability to filter feed and take in dissolved oxygen by half. We were thinking maybe there would be a little bit of an effect, but it was drastic," Raines said.

"We took initial tributary oxygen test and 24 hours later, we took those tests again and then we compared our data," Albright said.

What they found out impressed the judges. The pair will now split a $3,000 award, and another $1,000 will go to South River High School.

"They're a couple of kids, as sophomores, who stand out already. I can't wait to see what they accomplish when they become seniors," said William Myers, principal of South River High School.

These young scientists are not done. They're planning to head back to the lab in the months ahead.

"We're hoping that if we could further that data and we got a little bit more information, maybe they would edit the Clean Water Act and make it regulated more," Raines said.

And that could mean another trip back to Los Angeles or to Pittsburgh, where the awards ceremony will be held next year. Intel gave students about $5 million in award money.